Endocrine Abstracts

Background: We have used group education sessions to instruct patients about steroid sick day rules for over 3 years. The groups were initially run by one Endocrine Nurse Specialist (ENS) so every group followed the same format with the same take home messages. With the development of a second ENS post there became an opportunity to share running the sessions. However, it was vital to ensure patients attending the groups were all given the same teaching regardless of who was r...

Introduction: According to NICE: adults receiving GH treatment, IGF1 levels should reach therapeutic range by 9 months. Patients are reviewed at 1, 3, 6, 9, 12 months and 6 months thereafter in our clinics. GH dose is titrated by 0.1 mg each visit. This work aims to compare the time it takes to get the IGF1 in range, between adults and adolescent patients attending our specialist regional clinics.Method: We performed a retrospective audit of 20 patients ...

Data presented in 2011 identified a lack of steroid management knowledge in both patients and hospital staff. Numerous strategies have now been put in place to address this. These strategies have not only focused on patient education, but also on raising steroid awareness across the Trust.The first 48 respondents of a pre steroid education nurse survey, concerning steroid awareness, showed that, 48% did not know what an adrenal crisis is, but that 65% kn...

Hyponatraemia is associated with an increase in morbidity and mortality, prolonged hospital stays and poor assessment and management. Two audits were performed looking at acute medical unit (AMU) admissions with sodium <130 mmol/l, before and after the introduction of a protocol and regular endocrine nurse specialist ward visits, 3 months apart (58 patients in April and 99 in July 2013).Hyponatraemic patients were older than the AMU population (>...

Vitamin D deficiency has been estimated to affect one billion people world wide1. It is especially prevalent in Coeliac disease which is estimated to affect one in a 100 people. The intolerance to absorb gluten reduces not only the absorption of calcium, but can also further induce secondary hyperparathyroidism, infertility and a small increased risk of bowel carcinoma and osteoporosis.A joint nurse/dietetic Coeliac and Osteoporosis clinic was...

Denosumab is a fully human MAB that inhibits bone resorption by neutralizing RANKL and was licensed in 2010 for the treatment of post-menopausal osteoporosis. It was first integrated in a northwest trust, under the care of the metabolic and bone disease department, as a second line treatment.Since 2012 denosumab has been used in the outpatient clinic under a shared care agreement with the greater Manchester medicines management group, this agreement ensu...

It is recommended that patients with adrenal insufficiency should be in possession of an emergency hydrocortisone kit and have sufficient knowledge and skills to administer it. Historically, in our unit patient education was dependent on referral from Doctors to endocrine specialist nurses (ESN’s). This study sought to assess if patients owned a kit and if patients and family were competent to administer the injection if required.A ‘snapshot&#1...